Carnegie Mellon School of Design
 |
 Principal facility of the Carnegie Mellon School of Design | |
| Type | Design |
|---|---|
| Established | 1900 |
Parent institution | Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts |
| Location | , , United States 40°26′43″N 79°56′38″W / 40.44523°N 79.94397°W |
| Language | English |
| Website | design |
The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University is a degree-granting institution within a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The School of Design is one of five schools within the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts offering both under and post graduate education. The School is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and awards BDES, MA, MDES, MPS, MII-PS, DDES, and PhD degrees. The School of Design has 20 full-time and 12 adjunct faculty, and a student body of approximately 225.
History
The university began as the Carnegie Technical Schools founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1900. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology and began to offer four-year degrees. Graphic Design existed at that time as a series of electives within Painting, Decorating and the Sculpture departments. In 1967 the Department of Design was officially established with four-year degree programs in industrial and graphic design. Also in 1967, the Carnegie Institute of Technology merged with the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research to form Carnegie Mellon University. In 1997 the department changed ‘graphic’ to communication design.
In 1994 The School of Design became the first institution to offer a degree in Interaction Design with the launch of a two-year masters (MDes). It was one of the first schools in North America to offer a PhD in Design (2000) and is one of four or five schools in the U.S. to offer the program.
The school in 2004 helped launch the Service Design Network (with Koln International School of Design, Linkopings Universitet, Politecnico di Milano and Domus Academy) and its faculty have contributed to a growing body of research in this area.
In 2014 the School introduced a new area of specialty: Transition Design, that focuses on design-led societal change toward more sustainable futures.
Programs of study
Human/user-centered design research methods, traditional and emerging processes and technological innovations are employed in the design of products, communications and environments. Three broad areas of focus inform programs and curricula: Design for Service, Design for Social Innovation and Transition Design.
The School offers degrees at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels:
Undergraduate degrees
- Undergraduate Degree in Design (BDes): communication design, product design and design for environments
- Undergraduate Minor in Design
- Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Degree (BXA)
Graduate degrees
- MDes degree (Master of Design)
- MPS degree (Master of Professional Studies)
- MA degree (Master of Arts in Design)
- MII-PS degree (Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services)
Doctoral degrees
- DDes degree in Design Studies (Doctor of Design): 3-year professional doctorate
- DDes degree in Transition Design
- PhD degree (Doctor of Philosophy in Design)
- PhD degree in Transition Design
Rankings
Carnegie Mellon’s School of Design is annually ranked as one of the top design schools in the United States. in 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked the School of Design’s Interaction Design program first in the country [1] Communication Design (graphic) program 5th [2] and the Industrial Design program third. CMU’s Industrial Design program has historically ranked in the top 10 design schools in the U.S. in the annual Design Intelligence survey of architecture and design schools. In 2014 and 2015, LinkedIn ranked Carnegie Mellon’s Design program as number one on their list: Best Undergraduate Universities for Designers. It was also ranked as number one for Graduate Universities for Designers.[dead link][3]
Previous Heads of the School of Design
- 1970–1985: Joe Ballay
- 1985–1987: Alex Bally
- 1987–1991: Carroll Gantz
- 1991–1992: Steve Stadelmeier (interim)
- 1992–2002: Richard Buchanan
- 2002–2008: Dan Boyarski
- 2008–2009: Steve Stadelmeier (interim)
- 2009–present: Terry Irwin
See also
References
- Fenton, Edwin (2000). Carnegie Mellon 1900–2000: A Centennial History. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press. ISBN 0-88748-323-2.
